No tags yet.
Barbados is an island country, in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the Caribbean region of North America. Barbados is outside of the hurricane belt, and it’s capital and largest city is Bridgetown. During the U.S. winter season, Barbados average temperature is between 75 - 80 degrees which makes this the ideal time to visit this lovely island with breathtaking beaches.
In 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England and Barbados became an English and later British colony. Barbados was a wealthy sugar colony, relying heavily on the African slave trade until outlawed in 1807.
The culture of Barbados is a blend of West African, Creole, Indian and British cultures, and the locals refer to themselves as Bajans. English is the official language of Barbados, an English based creole language referred as Bajan is spoken by most Barbadians today.
Bajan cuisine is a mixture of African, Indian, Irish, Creole and British influences. A typical meal consists of a main dish of meat or fish, normally marinated with a mixture of herbs, spices, hot side dishes and one or more type of salad(s). The national dish of Barbados is Cou-cou and Flying fish with spicy gravy. A wide variety of seafood and meats are also in high demand.
For the best in Caribbean Holiday / Winter vacations, Barbados is one of the most diverse destinations offering more attractions than any other Caribbean island. Activities range from submarine rides to parasailing, swimming with the turtles, wreck and reef diving, powerboat rides and hiking. If you go to Bridgetown, be sure to go to Browne’s Beach. I was told that nine-time Grammy Award winner Rihanna, one of Barbado’s best known artist selling over 200 million records world wide hangs out here when she goes home. You know I was on the lookout for Badgirl RiRi. When in Barbados make sure to head to The Mount Gay Rum visitors center, this is the world’s oldest remaining rum company with the earliest confirmed deed from 1703. Cockspur Rum and Malibu are also from the island.
Music and Culinary Festivals are on-going throughout the year, which is another reason why Barbados is special - you really don’t have to go during a certain time of year to enjoy the island. From June 1st to August 5th, you definitely may want to plan a visit because the annual Crop Over Festival will be going on. The Crop Over Festival is an old tradition that honors the end of the sugar cane season. This will be the 200 year celebration, and the six week festival celebrates Bajan parties from dusk to dawn. This is tvery similar to Carnival in Brazil, it has to be a must on your Bucket List.
Sources:
Wikipedia, Barbados
The Official Barbados Tourism Guide